Short survey on websites for businesses

The season of goodwill is fast approaching, and I'm looking for a little from as many UKBF members as possible.

I'm currently working on a research project regarding attitudes and behaviours of businesses towards the need for a website. All that's missing is the input of business owners across the UK.

It would be hugely helpful to me if you could spare two minutes to answer these questions.

Many thanks, in advance!

1. How long has your business been active/operational?

2. What's the main product and/or service your business offers?

3. Which country is your business based?

4. Which geographical areas does your business serve?
a. Local & Regional
b. National
c. Across the continent
d. Global

5. Does your business have a website?
a. Yes
b. No (if no, please skip to question 10)

6. How did you set your business website up?
a. I built it myself (through Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, WordPress, etc.)
b. I knew someone (design freelancer) who did it for me
c. I hired an agency to design and develop it
d. One of our employees built it in-house

7. When choosing who to use when it came time to build your site, which factors motivated you most in making your decision? (Select all that apply)
a. Lowest Price
b. Highest Price (I'm always told you get what you pay for)
c. Recommendation from a trusted source
d. Location
e. How good their portfolio/examples of websites they'd designed looked
f. Turnaround Time
g. How good their SEO knowledge and capabilities are

8. How much did you pay to have your business website designed, built and hosted, in total?

9. Who maintains and/or updates your business website?
a. Nobody, it doesn't need updated
b. I do it myself just when I need to
c. I hire someone to maintain the site (in-house employee)
d. I hire someone to maintain the site (outsourced to an agency)

10 (only applicable to those without a website currently) What's stopping you from having a website for your business? (Select all that apply)
a. It's too expensive to build
b. I don't see the value in having one
c. My business gets enough custom from other means
d. I'm a bit of a technophobe and can't be bothered with the hassle of it all
e. Other (please specify)

However, your questions are very linear. They don't take into account that a business can use a combination of service providers.

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Thanks for responding! I'm always open to additional feedback, so if there's anything you feel you weren't given the opportunity to add because of the linear questioning, I'd love to read it. I can always include it in my research, and be mindful of it in future.

I could be wrong, but I don’t think you will get many people filling out your survey/lead form.

Lots of people on here - me included - have sold web design and promotional services to businesses in the UK for many years, so you may be better off asking for some advice regarding ‘the market’.

Otherwise, it might be better to get your post count up to 30 so you can place hyperlinks, then link to an actual online survey which would make it easier for anyone that wants to take part...

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Thanks for the comments. I should probably add some context to the questions above. My intention is to write about the attitudes and behaviours that businesses demonstrate towards owning a website. Specifically, I want to know the most common routes to website design among businesses who have a site, as well as the most common reasons businesses have for not owning a website.

If you're in a position to shed some light on that from your own perspective of providing web design services, then I would be grateful to you.

Businesses don't want a website. Businesses want to make money. A website is one of the tools they use to make money.

The marketing by many of the big players (including TV adverts) suggests a self build website will improve business. It's only after a business builds their website that they realise they need help.

When they do get help they often employ a range of providers: copywriting, marketing, design, development, PPC and or SEO and so on. This will continue over the life of the business where people with the right skills are brought in as and when.

This is why your Q7 doesn't work. The deciding factors are none of the above. They are driven by the business needs which may well change over time.

Effective Website Design - Free Help, consultation and advice for your website - (apparently the worse site ever according to some UKBF members...)

Businesses don't want a website. Businesses want to make money. A website is one of the tools they use to make money.

The marketing by many of the big players (including TV adverts) suggests a self build website will improve business. It's only after a business builds their website that they realise they need help.

When they do get help they often employ a range of providers: copywriting, marketing, design, development, PPC and or SEO and so on. This will continue over the life of the business where people with the right skills are brought in as and when.

This is why your Q7 doesn't work. The deciding factors are none of the above. They are driven by the business needs which may well change over time.

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That's hugely insightful and I completely agree. Thank you for your input. I'll have a think about re-framing the question.

2. What's the main product and/or service your business offers?
hair straightening products

3. Which country is your business based?
UK / Brasil

4. Which geographical areas does your business serve?
a. Local & Regional
b. National
c. Across the continentd. Global

5. Does your business have a website?a. Yes
b. No (if no, please skip to question 10)

6. How did you set your business website up?a. I built it myself (through Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, WordPress, etc.)
b. I knew someone (design freelancer) who did it for me
c. I hired an agency to design and develop it
d. One of our employees built it in-house

7. When choosing who to use when it came time to build your site, which factors motivated you most in making your decision? (Select all that apply)
a. Lowest Price
b. Highest Price (I'm always told you get what you pay for)c. Recommendation from a trusted source
d. Location
e. How good their portfolio/examples of websites they'd designed looked
f. Turnaround Timeg. How good their SEO knowledge and capabilities are

8. How much did you pay to have your business website designed, built and hosted, in total?
1k

9. Who maintains and/or updates your business website?
a. Nobody, it doesn't need updatedb. I do it myself just when I need to
c. I hire someone to maintain the site (in-house employee)
d. I hire someone to maintain the site (outsourced to an agency)

10 (only applicable to those without a website currently) What's stopping you from having a website for your business? (Select all that apply)
a. It's too expensive to build
b. I don't see the value in having one
c. My business gets enough custom from other means
d. I'm a bit of a technophobe and can't be bothered with the hassle of it all
e. Other (please specify)